Lugansk - The death toll rose to 24 on Saturday from two separate coal mining accidents on the same day in Ukraine's eastern industrial district, notorious for its poor safety standards.
The Ukrainian emergency ministry raised the toll from 16 to 18 from an explosion early on Friday at the Sukhodolskaya-Vostochnaya coal mine in the eastern Lugansk region.
Eight miners were still missing, while two remained hospitalised with serious burns after the blast likely caused by a buildup of deadly methane gas.
The toll also rose to six after a mine headframe collapsed at the Bazhanova pit in the town of Makiyivka in the neighbouring Donetsk region, while rescuers continued to search for five missing miners.
The 65-metre-high frame used for raising and lowering miners into the shaft collapsed Friday, trapping workers underneath. The accident forced the closure of the mine and the evacuation of more than 500 miners.
The twin disasters were the country's worst mining accidents since more than 100 miners died in a mine explosion in 2007.
President Viktor Yanukovych interrupted his holiday to travel to the scene of the Sukhodolskaya-Vostochnaya accident late Friday and meet relatives of victims and survivors.
He called a government commission to investigate the disasters, calling for improved safety standards to protect miners.
Deadly accidents are frequent in Ukrainian mines, most of which are located in the country's industrial eastern region. Many of the mines are underfunded and poorly equipped, while safety violations are rife. - Sapa-AFP